Pas de Deux for Peace

Where We Call Home.

This ballet dancer wishes to send a message of peace for his homeland.

Ukrainian Yevhenii Petrenko - "Jenya" to his friends and family.

While visiting his wife's mother in Japan, Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

Jenya worried for the fate of his home country.

Looking for ways they could help, he and his wife Mie decided to dance for Ukraine.

Knowing that I do it for people
like my family...

and friends in Ukraine
gives me the strength to dance.

Jenya and Mie will dance together in a charity ballet performance for Ukraine.

With the encouragement of people around them, the couple wishes for peace to return.

Let's get a closer look at their efforts.

Higashimatsuyama in Saitama Prefecture is a one-hour drive from Tokyo.

Taking a break in their work for a famous Ukrainian ballet troupe, Jenya and his wife Mie came to Japan for a visit this February.

Morning, Brian!

Mie's mother Kumie met her first grandchild: one-year-old Brian.

But only ten days after they arrived in Japan, Jenya learned the terrible news.

Russia had begun to invade his homeland.

I got a call from my mother.
She was in tears.

She said bombs had fallen near their home.
Then I didn’t hear from them for days.

When I first saw some photos...

tears welled up in my eyes.
I felt anger at the Russian military.

Jenya keeps in contact with his family back home through online video chat.

Today, he talks with his father who's just returned to their home in Kyiv.

How are the repairs going?

The roof’s halfway done.

Their house was damaged, but now that the Russian military has withdrawn from the area, repairs have begun.

Jenya's parents are eager to hear how their grandson Brian is doing in Japan.

He can now hold his cup
and drink by himself.

Hi!
Look, it’s Grandpa!

He wants to touch his hand!

As he talks to his family back home, the smile returns to Jenya's face.

But with the ever-incoming flow of news about his country under attack, Jenya is unable to focus on anything else.

I’m worried about Ukraine, too.
I know he wants to check his phone.

When I see him looking insecure,
I start to worry, too.

But I sometimes tell him
not to check his phone.

The war took away Jenya and Mie's opportunities to dance.

Mie looked for a ballet company that would take them in.

Then, she found a troupe in Saitama that welcomed them.

Here, they can practice with professional Japanese dancers.

Encouraging them is the company's artistic director, Kubo Koichi, who's had an international ballet career.

With news of the war coming in every day...

we wondered if there was any way
we could contribute through art and culture.

I just hope that dancing can give Jenya
a short break from worrying about Ukraine.

Dancing has helped Jenya regain his balance.

Jenya was born in Kyiv in 1994.

He loved to dance.

After graduating from a school of Ukrainian traditional folk dance, he began to show potential in professional ballet.

He was approached by the renowned Kyiv Classic Ballet company.

He performed internationally as an up-and-coming soloist for the famous ballet troupe.

He explains this made him feel proud of his Ukrainian cultural heritage.

Ballet is a part of my country’s
arts and culture.

It’s a part of Ukraine.

It’s also a major part of my life.

As for Mie, she performs as a principal dancer - the highest rank for a ballerina - with the same company.

At the age of seventeen, she entered the Vaganova Ballet Academy in Russia, well known for the rigorous training of its students.

Graduating with flying colors, Mie knocked on the doors of famous ballet companies around the world.

However, her small stature made things difficult.

It was then that she was contacted by the Kyiv Classic Ballet company.

The troupe invested a lot of effort into training the already hard-working Mie, and helped her attain the rank of principal.

I’m so thankful.

Being on stage is my joy, my life.

Mie explains how dancing classical Ukrainian ballet with Jenya is the best way to express her gratitude for her country of adoption that's given her so much.

My main goal is to do this for Ukraine.

We’re dancers, so to perform on stage
is for us – and especially for me...

when we feel most alive.

May - the two head to a ballet studio in Mie's hometown.

Hi!

Nice to see you!

Greeting them are Mie's former high-school teacher who encouraged her to study ballet in Russia, Iwakawa Yasumi...

...and Mie's childhood ballet instructor, Shimada Hiroko.

The two of them wish to hold a charity event for Ukraine and proposed Jenya and Mie perform together.

This show becoming reality is wonderful.
I’m so thankful to everyone involved.

It was such a surprising coincidence.
It feels like fate or a miracle.

Mie suggested she and Jenya perform "Bluebird" from "Sleeping Beauty."

Bluebird is a pas de deux in the famous ballet by Tchaikovsky, himself of Ukrainian heritage.

Strengthened by their love, a princess and a king transformed into a blue bird vow to overcome any obstacles.

We can express love through dance.

The blue bird means peace.

I hope to express beauty and love.

Rehearsal has begun.

With the help of an acquaintance of Mie, a local ballet school lets them use their studio to practice.

For this performance, they won't be able to dance to music played by an orchestra, as they would normally.

Because they'll be dancing to a recording, they have to make some adjustments in the choreography.

Put me down at the same timing.

For the last part...

the music’s a bit short, so we need
to end earlier, during the lift.

Mie can be very demanding.
She has a strong sense of responsibility.

It has to be perfect. We have to give it
our all and perform our best dance.

One week left until the big day.

They continue to fine tune the choreography as they go.

Good morning.

Thanks for helping us.

Today, they're training with Mie's former teacher, Hiroko.

The students are riveted by the couple's dancing.

Because of the war...

they must be feeling sad and worried.

But their dancing is so dynamic,
with wide graceful movements.

They put all their heart into it.

Hiroko observes them with utmost attention.

Yes, that’s better.

Their dancing will get through to Ukraine.

10 P.M.

Long hours of hard training are taking a toll on Jenya's ankle.

It hinders me when we rehearse.

I’ll be OK for the show.

Thank you.

But as soon as the blue bird puts on his wings, focus appears in his eyes.

"It has to be perfect" is Mie's motto.

They spare no effort and waste not a single minute of their rehearsal.

Perhaps he could place
his hands a bit higher?

Yes, this is better.

This isn’t just any show; it’s for Ukraine.
It strengthens our motivation.

They only have three days left.

As they continue to rehearse every day, Mie is hoping to help alleviate some of Jenya's fatigue by cooking a Ukrainian household favorite: borscht.

Ukrainian-style borscht is recognizable by its plentiful vegetables, and the vivid color of the beets.

His aunt’s borscht is so tasty.
She taught me the recipe.

His mother also taught me.

This is Brian's first ever taste of borscht.

How is it?
Like it?

He wants more.

His first borscht.

Bon appétit!

It’s very tasty.

We want Jenya to feel at home
during his stay in Japan.

I’m relieved to see him happy.

I’m happy, too.

The day has come.

Some 550 people are here to offer their support for Ukraine.

Among the audience is a family of refugees from the eastern province of Dnipropetrovsk, currently the site of violent clashes.

Jenya takes a moment to greet them, rejoicing at having the chance to perform traditional ballet for his fellow Ukrainians.

In a moment, Jenya and Mie are going to take the stage.

Tension fills the air.

The event opens with the Ukrainian national anthem.

Jenya's thoughts go to his parents back home.

And now, please welcome to the stage
Nagasawa Mie and Yevhenii Petrenko...

who will perform Bluebird.

The dance begins.

Back in February, Jenya had lost all hope.

Thanks to Mie's support, he found the strength to dance once again.

It's also with the help of their families in Japan, and in Ukraine, and of people like Hiroko, that the husband and wife are on stage today.

With gratitude for everyone who gathered for the event, Jenya and Mie send their prayer for everlasting love and peace to Ukraine.

They are showered with warm applause.

I’m thankful to Japan...

and to Jenya and Mie.

This fundraising event is tremendously
important for Ukraine.

We’ve so much gratitude.

Meanwhile, backstage...

I want to sincerely thank everyone.

After we gave our performance,
I truly felt how everyone...

gathered here to offer their
support for Ukraine.

Please welcome Jenya!

Jenya finds a bit of time between performances to share the universal spirit of ballet with young aspiring Japanese dancers.

It’s a big responsibility
but it also gives me energy...

because we help Ukraine through ballet.

Ballet can cross borders, it lets people
around the world share history and love.

We stay strong!

This is "Where We Call Home!"

Hi, I’m Wen Shuqi.
I train at a sushi restaurant in Ginza.

Ginza, Tokyo.

9:30 a.m.
preparation.

Shuqi is in charge
of preparing appetizers.

Setting the taste of the fish broth
is the hardest.

I extract the "umami" of the kelp
then add the dried bonito.

I had a hard time
getting it right at first.

I didn’t understand "umami."

It was hard.

But as I sampled my seniors’ cooking,
I gradually got the hang of it.

She adjusts the seasoning to create
about 10 broth variations.

The broth is most important.
If the broth’s good, so is the dish.

This is for the eggplant.

- Good.
- Thanks.

6 p.m.
opening time.

marinated tuna.

The dishes are prepared
using Shuqi’s fish broth.

conger & eggplant.

Perfect!

As her father loved Japanese cuisine,
Shuqi became interested in Japan.

In 2015, she came to Japan and studied
Japanese cooking at a college.

I thought of going back
to China after graduation.

But I met Murayama-san
in my third year in college.

The warm and pleasant mood
at his restaurant felt really nice.

I felt, 'this is the kind of restaurant
I want to run.' So, I joined.

Shuqi’s visa lets her stay
only a few more years.

What I can’t do today,
I’ll be able to do tomorrow.

One step at a time.

11 p.m.
after closing.

She learns sushi making
with another trainee.

Why is it at an angle?

Why?
Because it has to look nice.

The shape looks wrong.

You need angles.

Try again.

This is gizzard shad I got at the market.

She visits the market in the morning
to learn more about fish.

At first, I wanted her
to talk to people at the market.

So, we went together.

Then she started to go on her own...

which is quite rare
for a young woman like her.

She brings back fish
on which she can practice.

It feels like everyone wants
to help her learn and improve.

- You’ve gotten better.
- Really?

This is my co-worker, Kengo.

She smiles from morning
until closing time.

She lightens up the mood here.
She’s really amazing.

We’re together all day long,
so we’re like family.

We sometimes argue
and don’t talk to each other.

But we always make up somehow.

She works hard.

She always looks for ways to improve.

She’s very analytical
in everything she does.

With the base she built up here,
I’m sure she’ll succeed in China.

This is my treasure.

I wrote all the recipes in it.

I make sure to write down when
customers enjoy the food I make.

I think it’ll be very useful
when I go back to China.

One day, I’ll open my restaurant in China
just like Murayama-san’s.

So, I’m working hard.